The DIPC was thrilled to welcome back its 2022 winner, Yukine Kuroki, in recital last Wednesday 17th April, 2024.  This was Yukine’s Dublin début, taking place in the Royal Irish Academy of Music’s Whyte Recital Hall.

Once again, Yukine captured Dublin hearts with her wonderfully playful, yet transcendent performance.  Her virtuosity paired crystal clarity with song-like melodies so poetic, you could hear every word of the ‘Ave Maria’.

Her programme featured virtuosic renditions of crowd favourites: from lively dances – Saint-Saens/ Liszt, Dance Macabre and Tchaikovsky/ Pletnev, The Nutcracker Suite, to Schubert/ Liszt, Ave Maria.  These were beautifully complemented by Mendelssohn’s Scottish Sonata, and the meditative ‘Petrarch Sonnets’ and ‘Après une Lecture du Dante’ from Liszt’s Années de Pèlerinage (2nd Year).  In contrast to this Romantic repertoire, Yukine also revived David Fennessy’s Nara Dreamland, which was commissioned for the 2022 Dublin International Piano Competition.  It was a pleasure to hear Yukine perform this variety of idyllic solo works by Liszt after her magnificent, winning performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1 left such an impact on attendees of the 2022 Dublin International Piano Competition Final Round.

The reception of Yukine’s performance was exceptional, causing her to treat the audience to not one, not even two, but THREE encores.  A significant pool of the audience felt compelled to personally congratulate her after her truly magical recital. Here she is pictured with DIPC Artistic Director, Finghin Collins, and participants of the DIPC’s 2024 Young Pianists Programme: Mickey Glen Tomas, Iris Stoicescu, Defne Gultoprak and Peter Ryan.

We are looking forward to her return to Ireland in September 2024, where she will perform at New Ross Piano Festival, of which Finghin Collins is also Artistic Director.